Do you remember?

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Do you remember the two eggs found during one of the Nature Hikes at Arenas Del Mar Beach near Manuel Antonio National Park? After 40 days of incubation, we now have two little Turkey Vulture Chicks.

The two adults feed the chicks by regurgitating food for them, and care for them for 10 to 11 weeks. The young start to fledge at about nine to ten weeks. Family groups remain together until fall.

Help us to give them a name…!

Turkey Vulture Eggs!

During one of our hikes in the rainforest surrounding Arenas Del Mar in Manuel Antonio, we found some Turkey Vulture eggs on the ground. Our Naturalist Guide, Ersel, explains that the Turkey Vulture is a bird that eats dead animals and has a better smell sense than another species of vultures. They have a very strong digestive system that allows them to eat dead animals with bacteria of anthrax and cholera without any problem.

Beware of Monkeys!

All transportation within the Arenas Del Mar Nature Reserve (11 acres in total) is either by walking or golf carts. But our cart drivers need to be extremely careful and make sure there are no accidents with iguanas or monkeys crossing the road. So far all went well. No other luxury hotel in Manuel Antonio combines the rainforest location with direct access to two beaches and spectacular views of the National Park.

Green Short Nose Vine Snake in the Reserve!

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This week, our Naturalist Guide at the hotel, Ersel, found a green short nose vine snake in the Arenas del Mar reserve. This is not a snake that attacks humans, but is beautiful to watch as it gracefully goes up and down the trees. Its preferred prey are lizards and frogs and it is quite active even during the day as it is very well camouflaged with its green color. There is an onsite guide available at Arenas Del Mar to explore the nearby Flora and Fauna or to take a private tour to the Manuel Antonio National Park, one of Costa Rica’s most famous national parks.

Turtles at Playitas Beach!

In late December, we had a nest of turtles hatch at Arenas del Mar’s Playitas Beach. It is quite unusual for turtles to hatch in the Manuel Antonio area and there have not been sightings of turtles at Playitas in a few years. Hopefully the work of the hotel to keep the beach and its waters clean and undisturbed will help to make turtle hatchings more common again. Arenas Del Mar Beach & Nature Resport borders the maritime protection zone of Manuel Antonio National Park and is the only upscale hotel in Manuel Antonio that has direct beach access to two beaches for its guests.

Can you find the hotel?

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Arenas Del Mar was built in a way that it would blend it with the sourrounding nature. Colors and locations were chosen very careful by the architect. This picture is taken from a neighbouring property just a few meters from the hotel. If you look really really carefully, you will see the roofs and an antenna right in the center of the picture!

Arenas Del Mar at the Travel Mart Latin America in Chile

In September, Arenas Del Mar (along with the Cayuga properties) takes part in the Latin American Travel Mart that is held in different locations in South and Central America each year. We consider this the only Trade show worth attending other than Expotur in Costa Rica. This year the event was held in Frutillar (south of Chile). Maria Jose Castro represents Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality and has been meeting with companies such as Kings & Cox, Pagona Travel, and more. Listing to the wholesalers attending Travel Mart Latin America, we expect next year to be a good year for tourism although, we will not get back to pre crisis levels of 2008. The Latin American Travel Mart 2010 will be held in Peru.